Manufacture of splice-bars



(No Model.)

J. OOYNE.

MANUFACTURE OF SPLICE BARS.

g ll' qigwm im 7 YifiZ 2 V4 3 (l 6 i i UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN COYNE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF SPLICE-BARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No. 451,635, dated May 5, 1891. I

Application filed December 30,1890. Serial No. 376,238. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN OOYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and useful Improvement in Manufacture of Splice-Bars, of which improvement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in railway splice-bars and in the manufacture thereof. As generally constructed, these bars have vertical portions fitting between the head and flange of the rail on opposite sides thereof and horizontal flange portions bearing upon the upper sides of the flange of the rail. These bars are secured in place by means of bolts passing through the webs of the rails, and the flange portions are held down upon the flanges of the rails by the heads of the spike. These bars afford support as against vertical movement only to the heads of the rails, and the latter are held as against creeping or longi tudinal movement by the spikes engaging notches out in the edges of the flanges of the rail and splice-bars. It frequently occurs that portions of the flanges are cut away, the spikes acting as a cutting-edge.

The object of the present invention is to provide a splice-bar which shall entirely surround the rail, excepting the head thereof,on the under side of which the splice-bar has a bearing, and also has a bearing on both the upper and the under side of the flange of the rail, thereby affording an increased vertical support; and it is a further object of the invention to provide spurs or points on the splice-bar adapted to be forced into the crossties, thereby locking them as against longitudinal movement, and also to provide recesses or openings in the flanges of the splicebars for the reception of the heads of the spikes, thereby affording additional security as against longitudinal movement of the splice-bars and rails.

The invention will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a rail-joint having my improved splice-bar applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 00 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the splice-bar prior to the application of the bolts. Fig. 4 is a view partly in plan and partly in section, and Fig. 5 illustrates in section and plan the blank from which the splice-bar is formed.

In the practice of my invention I form by rolling between suitably-constructed rolls or by other suitable means a plate A, having the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 5t'. e., with a flat middle portion 1, adapted to fit against the under side of the rail-flange and forming the web of the splice-bar, the inclined portions 2, adapted to fit upon the upper faces of the rail-flanges, and the concave portions 3, adapted to fit between the railflanges and the under sides of the head of the rail. By means of suitable punching mechanism V-shaped cuts 4. are made at suitable points in the plate, said cuts extending outwardly from points near the edges of the flat portion 1 into the portions 2,as shown in Fig. 5. It is preferred that the punching mechanism should be so constructed as to bend the spurs 5, formed by the V-shaped cut, outwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. The opening thus produced in the formation of the spurs is adapted for the reception of the head of the spike, as shown in Fig. 2. In some cases it is desirable that the spike should pass through the splice-bar, as shown in Fig. 3, and in such case the V-shaped cuts do not extend into the flat portion 1, but only to the line on which the plate is subsequently bent, as indicated by dotted lines '6 in Fig. 5. Inside of this line holes 7 are punched for the reception of the shanks of the spikes. Holes 8 are punched at suitable intervals along the portions 3 for the reception of the bolts employed for clamping said portions to the rail. I

Either after or prior to the formation of the spurs, as described, the plate is out transversely into lengths suitable for splice bars, and is then bent around a former by suitable mechanism tothe desired shape. The flange portion of the former is made slightly thicker than the normal thickness of rail-flange, and the portion of the former against which the portions 3 of the blank are pressed is so constructed that said portions will when the bar is applied to the rail and before the bolts are applied stand out a short distance from the rail, as shown in Fig. 3, thus providing for the easy application of the completed bar to the rail.

In using my improved splice-bar it is slid onto the end of one rail, and one end of the next rail is slid into the splice-bar,the flange and vertical portions. and 3 thereof standing in such relation to the part 1 and to each other as to permit of the easy application of the splice bar in the manner described. Bolts 9 are then passed through the holes 8 and holes formed in the web of the rails, and the portions are drawn to place by nuts 10. The drawing of the portions to place under the heads of the rails causes the portions? to press firmly down upon the upper sides of the rail-flange, thus firmly clamping the ends of the rails in place. The portions 3 will, by their resilience when drawn inwardly by the bolts and nuts, serve as locks to prevent the nuts from being jarred loose by the passage of trains. After the splice-bars and rails have been secured together, as described, the spurs and spikes are driven into the underlying crossties.

In lieu of turning the spurs down to a right angle with the portion 1 of the blank, they may be so bent as to lie flat on the ties, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3, in which position they are secured to the ties by the spike employed for holding the rail, or by an additional spike, as shown. lVhen this modification is employed, it is preferred to make the cut circular as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, thereby providing a stronger hold for the spike.

I claim herein as my invention 1. A splice-bar for railways, havingin combination a web portion adapted to bear against the under side of the rail-flange, flange portions adapted to lit over the upper faces of the rail-flange, and vertical portions adapted to fit between the flanges and head of the rail, substantially as set forth.

2. A splice-bar for railways, havingin combination a web portion 1, provided with spurs, flange portions 2, and vertical portions 3, substantially as set forth.

3. A splice-bar for railways, having in combination a web portion 1, flange portions 2, and vertical portions 3, the flange and ver tical portions constructed to have a spring or resilient action as against the tension of the track-bolts, substantially as set forth.

4. A blank for the formation of splice-bars, consisting of a flat or plane middle portion, inclined portions along the edges of the middle portion,and the concave portions outside of the inclined portions, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN ()OYNE.

"itnesses:

DARWIN S. \VoLco'r'r, R. H. Wnrrwnusnv. 

